CHAPTER SIX
Indya stretched out her tired limbs then reached over to the nightstand to check the time on her phone, wondering if it was too early to get up. She knew Lucy had an early class today and had mentioned Adam would meet her after her class and go for lunch. They'd given her a key to the apartment so she could lock up when she left. She groaned at the screen that said it was a little after eleven. Eleven! How did she sleep so late? She never slept that late. It must have been all the tossing and turning she'd done last night, instead of sleeping.
Ever since she'd ended things with Mateo, she hadn't realized how lonely she was. She had Lucy, and Adam, but during the three years she was in a relationship with Mateo, she'd let her other friends slip away. It wasn't easy keeping up friendships when she spent her time either looking after the twins or with Mateo. Lucy having the same job was a godsend even if she hadn't realized it. She winced as she acknowledged she'd canceled on her a few times when Mateo had said he was free and they should do something together. One thing she was determined about, she'd never put a man before her friends again. She'd learned her lesson, and it wasn't one she would repeat.
When Adam had whisked Lucy away for two weeks before she started her college course that was when it hit home to her that her life was empty. Her parents had worried about her as she'd spent her entire vacation, when the Franklins had taken the twins to Europe for the same two weeks as Lucy was away, in her old bedroom, only coming out at meal times. Luckily she'd snapped out of that fast, but what it had taught her was that she needed to make changes in her life. She loved the twins but her job, not so much. She'd always wanted to travel but the last four times she'd done that, she'd had two little boys to look after.
Indya brought up the Instagram feed on her phone to pass the time before jumping in the shower and leaving to go back to her room at the Franklins. Her feed was full of exotic photos by an old school friend who'd studied child care with her and was now working on a cruise ship in the Caribbean. Jealousy coursed through her veins and she was ashamed of her feelings. If she really wanted to she could send her friend a message and ask how she would apply.
Something needed to change. She would miss Lucy terribly but she knew she was settled with Adam and she'd recently started talking about the new friends she was making at college. Yes, it was time to get her life back on track. With a newly found spring in her step, she threw back the covers to go for her shower and be more proactive with her life.
As she left the bedroom, the fragrance of freshly cooked bacon hit her nostrils. Her mouth watered and her stomach rumbled as she let her nose lead her to the source of the smell. Noah was there, standing with a grin on his face. "Wondered what it would take to get you out of bed," he smirked. "Bacon, works every time."
She could feel the color rising on her cheeks as her nerves kicked in. She hadn't been this tongue-tied, well ever, and she didn't plan on starting now. Just a normal guy. Like Adam, she recited to herself. "Got any spare?" she asked as she perched on a stool beside him.
"Of course. We've got bacon," he said as he lifted the pan and then nodded at the two plates at the side of the stove, "and eggs and pancakes." He split the bacon on to each of the plates and pushed one towards her, along with a knife and fork. "Eat up."
She couldn't help but smile at him. This was not what she imagined the million times she'd day dreamed about a moment like this. "Thank you. This looks amazing." And she meant it. Maybe she could ignore she had a massive crush on him.
"It's nice to get a homemade meal, being on the road means eating junk food so I'm appreciating the benefits of being home for a while," he winced, "I have a confession. Adam taught me how to make pancakes the other day, so I hope they pass the taste test."
She bit into a pancake and screwed up her face, "Yeah, maybe a bit more practice." Luckily the eggs and bacon tasted so much better.